


The Man In Yellow

by ZpanSven



Series: A Ripple in Time [14]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Gen, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Older Man/Younger Woman, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-08 05:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4292250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZpanSven/pseuds/ZpanSven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a chance at a future with the man she loves and the Christmas season upon them, Carrie figures life is going well. And then like a cascade of ill-fortune, she first must aid the Arrow and his team against the Boomerang Killer...and then face her own worst nightmare as the man that killed her mother reenters her life...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Due to the actions of the Eobard in each universe, the universes have diverged, though some interactions are similar to what happened in the over verse.

She was awake well before her alarm went off the next morning, all dressed and ready to go....okay so maybe she was primping in the mirror, playing with her hair. Should she get a trim...?

When her alarm went off, she grabbed her bag and headed out to work, only pausing to break up a couple muggings and rescuing a couple dogs that got off their leashes on the way in.

There were more than a couple double-takes as Carrie breezed into work on time and walking as though floating on air. More than one person discreetly checked the news for signs of an oncoming apocalypse.

And the found nothing.

The hell?

Meanwhile, Carrie was up in her lab, wrapping up the loose ends of the Bivilo case and a couple cold cases she was reviewing. Not that a lot of brain power was involved in the Bivilo case and she was running DNA in the cold cases, which meant the machines were doing most the work.

Even as she stared at the case file from one of the cold cases, her mind started to wander, which meant she was daydreaming a bit when Joe stopped in to see her.

“Care-bear?” he was eyeing her in concern; she was staring out at nothing when he walked in and she had just about fell off her chair in surprise when he called her name. “You didn't answer your phone last night,” he said. “I was wanting to see how you were feeling after well...”

“Oh I'm fine! Great even,” she replied, a faintly goofy grin crossing her face.

He looked vaguely alarmed. “Really?”

She hand-waved him, blushing. “I...well, Dr Wells and I talked about what I said when I was...not really myself. It went really well.”

“...it did?”

Allowing herself an eye-roll she spun in her chair to face him. “We're a pair of adults. Who had an adult conversation abut my feelings for him. And his for me.”

“His for you?” There was a strangled quality to Joe's voice. “Carrie, he's too old---”

“I know. He said the same thing,” she interrupted him as she stood. “He also brought up his current social standing and the fact he's wheelchair bound for the near foreseeable future. And Lie I told him, I'll tell you – none of that bothers me. I have feelings for him and he has feelings for me that he has been trying to ignore. He wasn't wanting to take advantage of me, 'cause I wasn't hiding how I felt.”

“Uh, Carrie? Joe?” Standing uneasily at the lab's door was Hunter: in his hands was a large crystal vase containing a bouquet of flowers – sunflowers, daisies, and red chrysanthemums.

They turned, looking at him and then at the flowers.

“Hunter...?”

“These were just left for you at the front desk,” he explained, entering the Lab and setting them on her desk.

“...really? For me?' she was by his side – barely remembering to not use her true speed - and touching the flowers in awe. “...I've never received flowers before...”

“Really?” Hunter blinked in surprise and glanced at Joe for confirmation; he nodded, his lips a tight line of disapproval as he glared at the cheerful flowers.

There was a card hidden in the flowers, with familiar hand writing: Would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow night?

A grin crossed her face and she squealed in glee, hugging the card to her chest.

“What'd it say?” Joe asked warily.

“...he wants to know if I want to go out to dinner tomorrow night,” she replied.

“Who?” Hunter blinked. Was Richard Grayson back in town? Eddie didn't mention it....

“Do you remember Dr Wells from STAR Labs?”

“The guy whose particle accelerator put you in a coma? Yeah.”

“Well after I woke up, STAR Labs kept with me to make sure I was fully recovered. That's how I ended up becoming friends with Caitlin and Cisco. Sometimes STAR Labs helps with their much nicer lab if we have some particularly difficult evidence to process,” she explained. “I had a bit of a crush on him before...everything that happened. And being able to work with him, those feelings deepened. A lot. And apparently, for him...he started to have feelings for me to.” As Joe opened his mouth, she glared at him in exasperation as she added: “Even though he tried not to.”

“So he says,” her father muttered sourly.

“We're taking things slow and seeing where it ends up and he's been nothing but a gentleman and a professional the entire time we've interacted. You act like he's asking me to move in with him,” she huffed.

“Does he make you happy?” Hunter asked her.

Her smile was radiant and goofy, a blush appearing on her cheeks. “Yes.”

Joe stormed off muttering about his daughters picking men who'd deliberately piss him off. She rolled her eyes at Hunter who gave a shrug.

“If he treats you right and makes you happy, I say...go for it. If he messes up and hurts you....well there's a buncha of people who'll make him sorry,” he said. “Joe'll come around. I think he just needs to realize his daughters are women.”

“I hope he does it soon, I'm getting hints from Iris that she and Eddie might be thinking about making a commitment,” she sighed.

“He is,” Hunter winked at her conspiratorially.

“Oh?” her back straightened in interest.

“Not telling anymore than that,” he chuckled. “And...if you get a chance to slip out early I say do it. The holidays are coming up and you should make the most of 'em.”

Her head tilted as she studied him; his parents were dead and he had just gone through a nasty divorce... “Will you be alright during the holidays?”

A hand was waved. “I'm fine! I'm covering for some of the others so they can have the time off during the season. Keeps me busy and helps them out at the same time.”

“You're always welcome to join us...”

“I might, depends on how quiet things are,” he replied.

She watched him go before turning back to stare at the flowers Harrison – oh how nice it felt to call him that at last! - had sent her, reaching up to touch one of the sunflowers.

Outside the lab, Hunter leaned against the wall in the hallway, a hand clenched into a fist on his leg. The cold weather made his bad knee hurt but that was the least of his problems. He'd blown a chance with a very nice young woman, being too hung up on all of the what-ifs and coulda-beens in his and Ashley's wrecked relationship...

Dr Wells better make her very happy, he decided, pushing himself away from the wall and walking off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According the website I visited, the flower meanings:
> 
> Sunflowers - adoration/dedication/dedicated love  
> Daisy - loyal love/innocence/purity  
> Red Chrysanthemum - love


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More similarities this chapter - the differences will become more clearer next chapter for the first ever date between 'Harrison' and Carrie...
> 
> ...I need to figure out what she's going to wear... *ponders* I already know what flowers he's getting her and that they'll be going to an Italian restaurant....
> 
> Update: Found her a dress~ http://www.accentclothing.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/7/1/71730_kevan_gold_antique_lace_dress-6_2.jpg
> 
> alternate link if the first one doesn't work: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2u5fz2dh9zpvwnq/Screenshot%202015-07-09%2003.11.23.png?dl=0

The day passed slowly – the Bivilo case was wrapped up and considered 'unsolved' until they could get the DA to finally listen to them about the meta-humans and there wasn't much new evidence coming into the lab so she engrossed herself in her cold cases.

She wasn't sure how long time had passed before Eddie poked his head into the lab; he eyed the flowers before heading over to Carrie.

“Hey Eddie,” she greeted absently from were she was reading the cold case's case-file – double homicide in a robbery gone wrong. There was something really familiar about it...

“So these are the cause of Joe's temper, huh?” Eddie eyed the bouquet; the vase was probably real crystal and the flowers were bright and cheerful, just like she was.

“Yeah...” she grunted in annoyance. 

“I'm...glad things went well for you,” he offered. “Sorry that Joe is well...being a Dad though...”

“With how he's acting you might want to make sure you give Iris a couple of those presents in private I dunno how he'd take to 'em,” she cautioned; one such present was one she had helped him with – a replica of the wedding rings that belonged to Iris's mother. They had been lost on a zoo field-trip in their fifth-grade year and it had devastated her sister; Iris had cried for weeks because of it.

“Thank you for the heads up,” he grimaced.

“No problem, big bro,” she quipped, bringing a grin to his face. 

Iris made a great choice with him and she considered him a welcome addition to the family. Unlike Oliver, who was the broody mcgloomy pants older brother, Eddie was a fellow nerd and all sorts of fun to hang around with. Joe would just have to get out of his snit – Eddie and Iris adored each other and Carrie was hoping that she and Harrison would ave a similar state of bliss in their future.

...now if she could just get Felicity and Oliver together for good...

...and Caitlin and Cisco were still single, maybe she should see about getting them some dates...

Carrie blinked, dismissing her match-making. Must be what Iris went through when she and Eddie started getting serious... “The tree-trimming is coming up in the next couple days and I invited Hunter but he said he was covering some of the other guys' shifts in the next few weeks. Iris and I tend to exchange early gifts during the tree trimming and you are more than welcome to join us for that.”

“I will be taking you up on that. Is Dr Wells going to join us?”

“The house isn't exactly friendly for his chair,” she replied with a grimace – as adorable and charming as the old house was its front door wasn't exactly wide enough for Harrison's chair. She perked up though. “He hasn't decorated at his place yet, so I'll see about if he's alright with putting a tree up and we have a small Christmas party there. Or STAR Labs.”

“The Lab might be bigger,” Eddie agreed before fumbling in his pockets. “Oh Iris told me to give you this – she says these are the best date spots in town...”

She perked up as he passed her a folded sheet of paper. “Oh this'll come in handy! He...asked me out to dinner tomorrow but he's a little worried since he hasn't dates in so long...”

“I'm sure it'll go great,” he reassured her before grinning. “Iris is more than willing to help you pick out something to wear.”

“I get the feeling my wardrobe is about to grow,” she groaned.

\----------

The tree-trimming went off smoothly enough – probably because Harrison wasn't there, Carrie figured but it was nice for the air to be more festive. Hunter had worked, so he'd not taken her up on the offer of joining in. Eddie had, which was good.

She'd been expressly forbidden by the other three from speed-decorating the tree and house.

“The only person in a red-suit that will be in this house is going to be Kris Kringle,” Joe announced before sipping his eggnog.

“My gift is probably so lame,” Iris said, passing Carrie an awkwardly wrapped bundle; it was a state-of-the art top of the line microscope. “Its supposed to be the best on the market and the one in your lab is looking a little dated...”

“I love it! My baby,” Carrie crooned to the microscope, lovingly cradling it in her arms like a newborn. “You and Momma are going to catch the badguys, yes we are!”

Eddie snorted at her even as Iris opened the one from Carrie.

Iris squealed with delight as she stared the pair of earrings within. “You remembered me looking at these on Girls' Day? That was a month ago!”

“Of course. I have a mind like a steel trap. I remember everything. ...not always a good thing, but yea....” Carrie replied with a sheepish shrug as Iris held up the dangling earrings – golden knots with vivid emerald stones in the center.

“Oh those are nice,” Eddie agreed with an approving nod. “They really set off your eyes!”

Carrie smiled into her eggnog – she bet Iris was going to be thrilled with Eddie's gift later.

\--------

“Merry Christmas everyone,” she chirped as she breezed into the Cortex with a large gift bag in her arms. “I mean, I know its not exactly Christmas yet but I wanted to get everyone something before then...”

She passed around gaily wrapped presents to the trio; Harrison gave his an experimental shake, to listen for any rattling.

“I speak for myself but I'm certain Caitlin and Cisco agree wit me in the sentiment that you coming into our lives has been a gift, Carrie,” he said, causing her to blush.

“I could say the same ting right back at you, Harrison,” her smile was all promise for later.

Caitlin and Cisco was looking back and forth between the pair; something had definitely changed between the two of them in the past couple days since the Rainbow Raider had whammied Carrie. Cisco was pretty sure the pair had finally decided to get together. Which was cool – they deserved to be happy.

And then Caitlin noticed the red plaid Thermos that had also emerged from the gift-bag. “...and what is that?”

“Compliments of Iris! Grandma Ester's famous eggnog,” Carrie announced, much to Cisco's delight.

“That's what I'm talkin' about!” he said, hurrying off to find glasses.

“Maybe later for me,” Harrison declined with a chuckle. “Wouldn't want to drink and drive.”

She blinked as he navigated his chair out of the Cortex and blinked at Caitlin. “Did I...say something wrong...?”

Caitlin shook her head as Cisco set the glasses down with a sad expression. “Nah, sis. This...used to be his favorite time of year. But then the accident happened so close to Christmas so it ruined the holidays...”

“I was trying to think what to get him for a present to try and cheer him up,” Caitlin said.

“...I had wondered why his place wasn't decorated...” Carrie muttered, gaining both their attention.

“You've been to his place?” Cisco looked surprised.

“Yes, the other night after I was reverse-whammied. We needed to talk and....” she blushed hotly, thinking about what it had been like to sit on his lap, to feel his warm lips on hers...

“I knew it! You two got together!” Cisco announced, looking pleased with himself.

Carrie was blushing still even as she nodded. “We decided we've see where things went. We're...planning on going out to dinner tomorrow night. And on a different note... Eddie and I were talking about the possibility of doing a Christmas party for all of Team Flash. Maybe we can use that to bring Harrison out of his funk?”

“That would be so cool! We'll hold it here and Caitlin could brew up some of her shine to go along with Iris's eggnog!” Cisco said in excitement as Carrie set the gift-bag down on one of the work stations. “We'll definitely have to decorate!”

“And we'll need more than just shine and eggnog for refreshments and snacks,” Caitlin added.

“Make up a list of what we should need,” Carrie said. “I'm certain the van will hold everything...”

“You don't think we'll get in trouble right...?” Caitlin asked nervously.

“It was all my idea and my doing. Seriously I could turn this place into the North pole in two minutes, if I'm taking my time,” the speedster snorted.

“Then let us commence 'Operation: Cheer up the Boss!'” Cisco declared and was on the end of their eye-rolls and groans. “What, not a good name?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hair style: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bu70n2s7oe4ay6l/Screenshot%202015-07-09%2019.51.30.png?dl=0  
> Dress: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2u5fz2dh9zpvwnq/Screenshot%202015-07-09%2003.11.23.png?dl=0  
> Shoes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dw93xax15manh02/Screenshot%202015-07-09%2004.04.34.png?dl=0

“I love it but I wont be able to run in it,” Carrie said in worry as Iris zipped up the back of her newest dress – it was a snug sheath of antique gold lace that fell past her knees. The speedster eyed shiny red pumps – they were so tall, she had been walking around in her apartment in them before even getting ready to learn how to not fall flat on her face. “And I won't be able to run in these either!”

“The Flash has the night off,” Iris retorted; she had seen the look on Carrie's face when she had seen the dress on the mannequin while they were at the mall. That was why she had bought it as Carrie looked at sweaters. The pumps were an inspiration. “Leave the hero-work to Eddie and the rest of Team Flash tonight. Now lets work on your hair...”

\----

As she walked through the restaurant after Iris had dropped her off, she hoped the looks she was getting were a good thing. Her back was straight and her shoulders were thrown back as she walked the way Iris had shown her.

Shoulders back. Spine straight. And most importantly remember: you're walking to the man of your dreams.

Harrison's eyes were a bright, smoldering blue as they locked on her, starting with those terribly high-heeled shiny red pumps, the powerful and shapely calves, up over the antique gold sheath dress that hugged her slim curves, the red lipstick that matched her pumps, and then met her eyes. There was a surge that seemed to go through them and she could read...was that approval mixed with wanting? 

Oh she hoped it was...

He backed his chair up a bit and she realized he had brought her flowers. She smiled as she accepted the bouquet of red and yellow tulips from him.

“Did Iris tell you my colors for tonight?” she asked in amusement as she sat across from him in the chair the waiter had pulled out for her and she set the tulips on the table beside her water goblet.

“No, actually,” he chuckled as he moved his chair back to its previous position. “This...was actually my other choice on what to send you yesterday but I didn't want to come off as seeming too strong...”

“You're perfect,” she told him honestly and blushed hotly.

“That would be you, my dear,” he chuckled, his hand sliding across the table to lace his fingers with hers, his thumb rubbing circles in the tender skin at the web between her thumb and forefinger.

And for her, everything fell away – it was like they were the only ones in the restaurant, even with the waiter coming by to get their orders. When she was unable to decide what she wanted, she let Harrison pick. It had been a pasta and seafood dish and it had been wonderful; she'd had to keep herself eating dainty little bites, not wanting to accidentally ruin the dress and to not embarrass him – she knew how enthusiastic she could get when she ate...

She almost didn't want it to end – even though she couldn't feel the effects of the wine, the tipsy-like feeling was probably all from the giddiness that came from being with him.

But there was a thing called work in the morning for the both of them...even when all she wanted to do was crawl in his lap and kiss the daylights out of him...and do oh so much more. Damn her hormones...

\-----------------------

A couple days later, she arrived at Harrison's with a poinsettia and a mission. He side-eyed the festive plant as she set it on his coffee table.

“Carrie...”

“You're always cheering me up with flowers, let me do the same. Besides, there's a distinct lack of holiday spirit in the air around here,” her hands were on her hips as she arched her brows at him. “Its Christmas and you are lacking a tree and everything else. Cisco says you love the holidays...”

“That was before.”

“And that was before us,” she replied, boldly sitting on his lap, looping her arms around his neck. His brows went up and she grinned at him trying to project more bravado than she felt.

“While this is true....” he drawled, his hands resting on her hips before sliding up beneath her sweater to cover her breasts, kneading with long, strong fingers.

“Please...” Carrie whimpered, somewhat breathless as she squirmed on his lap. Right then she wasn't even sure what she was asking for...

“I guess I could let you decorate,” he mused, dropping a kiss on the side of her throat, her hands lifting to lace and grip his hair.

Her head fell back, arching her neck closer to his mouth as she squirmed on his lap; pressing against her hip was his erection. A throaty growl escaped him as he nipped at the sensitive skin over her jugular. His mouth was hot and wet as it closed over that spot, sucking hard to raise a bruise. 

It would fade shortly but there was still the act of putting it there, an act of possessiveness that caused a pitiful keening to escape her.

Oh how she wanted him so badly...

When his head lifted and he looked down at her, he smiled, taking in her parted lips, blushing cheeks, and the way her irises were mere rings of blue around her dilated pupils.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured, his mouth slanting over hers, his hands flexing over her breats.

The way he kissed should be illegal, she thought with a wild delirium, all hot and hungry and breath-stealing--

She mewled wordlessly in protest when his head lifted, his forehead resting against hers, his hands slowly – reluctantly – sliding down to her waist.

“You...are tempting me terribly...” he chuckled. “I promised to be a gentleman, to take things slow...”

“Have you met me?” she giggled breathlessly. “Slow doesn't exactly exist in my vocabulary these days...”

“So I've noticed,” he replied dryly.

His arms around her were strong, reassuring even as they were possessive, claiming. She peeked at him through her eyelashes.

“We're having a Christmas party at STAR Labs. Your attendance is mandatory,” she informed him. “And you have to act surprised and like your grinchy heart grew three sizes, for Cisco's sake.”

“Really now?” there was amusement in his voice as be brushed his lips over hers. 

“Really.”

“I will, on a condition though,” he bargained.

“And that is...?”

“You wear what you wore for our date,” he replied, lips quirking up into a smirk. “You looked like a wonderful present walking towards me in that gold dress...”

“I'm sure I can find a red bow to put on my neck,” she teased and saw his pupils expand. Oh definitely she'd have to do that, just to see his reaction...

\----------------

When Caitlin and Cisco messaged Harrison that they were taking a couple days off and gone off together, Carrie had wondered if maybe they were secretly dating and raked her brain for any missed signs. The text from Cisco came that they were safe and sound in Starling City and visiting the Arrow Cave, however, had her snorting in amusement to herself.

Well at least she wasn't totally oblivious to things like she had been previously worried about...

An entirely different worry came when Caitlin called her from Starling City an hour or so later – something about the ARGUS facility there being attacked by the boomerang killer – Dig and his wife were in danger and Oliver and Roy were on their way. 

\-----

There were a pair of silver boomerangs slicing through the air, aimed for the Arrow's face when she arrived; in a crackle of gold lightning and a graceful spin no one saw, she snagged them from mid-air before she came to a halt between the Arrow and his attacker, staring at the boomerang killer, one of his weapons gripped tightly in each hand.

Feeling emboldened, she strode towards him, a sway in her hips and a cockiness in her stride that wasn't normally there. “Want to try that some more? I promise...I can catch them all and strip you down before you can even blink.”

The boomerang killer was reaching into one the bandoleers containing the boomerangs on his chest, pulling out something small and fit into his palm; he dashed it to the ground and it exploded in a flash of light, sound and smoke.

“---the hell?!” she huffed in annoyance before glancing over at the Arrow and the others – they looked alright. She'd wait for them at the Arrow cave, she decided before speeding away.


	4. Chapter 4

As great as it had been to reunite with her friends, she could tell Felicity was uneasy as Cisco was jumping, trying to get up on the Salmon Ladder.

“I'm not so sure she should have called you,” Felicity said, glancing between Caitlin and Carrie. “Oliver doesn't play well with others...”

“Oh come on, Carrie and Oliver totally kicked ass last week!” Cisco said, having successfully grabbed the bar and managing to slowly pull himself up on the Salmon Ladder. He grunted in the exertion. “They were like in a league of their own!”

“Yes, but that was like a one time deal...” the hacker said uncertainly.

“The crazy man was throwing around exploding boomerangs and they needed some back up. Its not a big deal,” Carrie replied with a hand wave before resting her hands on her hips. “Besides, Oliver helped me when I was whammied so...we're making things even if that's what he'd rather hear.” She shook her head, tsking. “Men and their pride, I swear...”

Cisco fell to the ground with a grunt.

“..and I'm getting hungry. I feel like sushi, anyone want anything?” Carrie offered. Even before the run to Starling, she and Harrison had been burning up quite the calories...

“Please!” Caitlin perked up.

With the takeout orders – and some cash - in hand, she zoomed off to return a couple moments later in a whirlwind, dropping off the requested food on one of the work tables before settling herself in Felicity's spinning chair, chopsticks already in hand. She was digging into her take out when she became aware of the eyes on her.

Oliver had a hand over his face, his head tilted back and it sounded like he was muttering in Russian. She recognized that as his 'God why me?' pose. Then her eyes met those of Dig and his wife – Lyla that was her name right? - who was staring at her with wide eyes. Nervously she waved her chopsticks in greetings.

“Oh hi...I...are you hungry, I can get you something....? The sushi's good....” she offered.

“You do remember you have this thing called a secret identity?” Caitlin sighed in exasperation at her.

“...but they're married?” Carrie replied in confusion, pointing the chopsticks at the pair.

“We're not married,” they replied in unison.

“Oookayyyy....together. Whatever. He told her about me....?” it was more a question than a statement, which had Dig shaking his head. And now she was sure Oliver was swearing in Chinese. She squeaked. “...you didn't?”

“I keep secrets for a living, kiddo.”

“Oh. Could we...not tell Harrison about this?” she asked Caitlin.

“Harrison?” Oliver echoed as he finally lowered his hand from his face and stared at her.

“Didn't Felicity tell you?!” Carrie groaned, while Roy was staring between the three of them with arched brows.

“I didn't think it'd look good if the Arrow chased a man in a wheelchair,” the hacker replied. 

“....you do have a point,” she agreed and she smiled sheepishly at Lyla.

“Y-you....you're...” the older woman was staring as though transfixed.

Vaguely Carrie was reminded of Dig's reaction when they stopped by a week ago.

“I'm called the Flash, but you're welcome to call me Carrie,” she replied cheerfully and offered her her take-out box. “Are you sure you don't want any sushi?”

Lyla's head shook slowly and Carrie shrugged before digging in. She did offer and coming from a speedster, that was practically an invitation to be family.

“We need a location on the man who is after Lyla – his name is Digger Harkness,” Oliver stated.

“Then lets work the evidence and see what it has to say,” Carrie replied, setting her half-finished sushi down.

“Carrie?” Oliver's voice was tight. “A word please.”

Her head bowed. Dammit. Rising to her feet, she – reluctantly - trailed after him further across from the room.

“I appreciate the help back at ARGUS but we have this handled,” he said softly.

“So...you're not wanting to team up again?” Carrie asked, arms crossing over her chest.

“Things work differently here. Starling City is....meaner.”

“I seem to remember being able to help you pretty good last year. And that was without powers,” she reminded him sweetly though her smile was all teeth. “And it almost sounds like you don't have confidence in our training sessions and everything you've taught me.”

“...if we do this, its my way,” he stated.

She squealed with glee, tackling him in a bear-hug. “This is going to be awesome!”

It was not awesome for Oliver. Sometimes he forgot how physically affectionate she was, he thought in exasperation as he grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back. “What have I said about hugging me?”

Carrie pouted. “I know, I know, no touchy-feely stuff. Finnne. What's the first move?”

“First we need to reassemble the evidence,” Oliver said in a more normal volume, speaking to everyone. “It could take some time but--”

In a gust of wind and blown papers she was across the Arrow Cave, beside the tray with the shattered boomerangs; her hands were blurs as they were reassembled into four boomerangs. Carefully picking up the tray, she turned to the others of the team with a cat-that-ate-the-cream smile at Oliver.

“--it'll be worth it,” he finished.

“Rad!” Cisco said in glee, picking one of the reassembled boomerangs up, inspecting it. “This one is far more teched out than the one you brought to Central City! 3D printed polymer with a circuitry weave...”

“Some of Harkness's boomerangs exploded,” Roy offered.

“Oh yeah,” Cisco was nodding, tilting the boomerang to show it better to the red-clad archer. “There's grooves in her that could definitely work to pack a C4 charge!”

“Maybe if we can figure out where Harkness got the supplies we can use that to track him,” Caitlin suggested.

Cisco suddenly frowned. “These weren't made by Kaboom Boomerang...”

“Kaboom Boomerang...?” Roy echoed, a brow arching.

“Yeah, you know...” he explained even as Caitlin face-palmed beside him. “Because he has exploding boomerangs...” 

Carrie shook her head at him, hiding a giggle behind her hand. “Not one of your best, bro.”

“Really? It makes perfect--” Cisco protested, only to be cut off by Oliver's growl: “Cisco!”

The engineer stilled, pouting faintly and they were all treated to the sight of Carrie reaching up and yanking on Oliver's ear in reprimand. “Ollie!”

He hissed and smacked that incessantly tugging hand from his ear. Rubbing the abused appendage, he glanced at the others sullenly. “If Harkness didn't make them then we need to find out who did.”

“And who he made the buy off of,” Dig rumbled.

“Marcos,” Cisco breathed, staring at the boomerang he held. All eyes turned to him in confusion and he was pointing to something in the construction of the weapon. “See this collapsible node design? Dead give away. That's his signature.”

Felicity was already heading for her computer, Oliver following her. “Alright, we need a location on this-”

“Klaus Marcos,” Cisco supplied.

At her chair, Felicity's fingers flew over her keyboard, Oliver leaning in beside her.

“No known address or place of employment,” she reported after her preliminary search. “But he was arrested last year by an Officer Quentin Lance.”


	5. Chapter 5

The realization of the fact they'd have to meet Lance in civilian clothing had her mutter a dismayed: “Shit...”

“What?” Roy side-eyed her.

“I literally only stopped to change into my suit before running over here to help and I only have workout clothes here, they aren't exactly suitable for going out in public, especially not with it being as chilly as it is...”

“I'm sure we have something that might fit,” Felicity reassured her.

“Oh good,” she sighed in relief. “that should work until I can run back to Central and pick up a couple changes of clothes. Which reminds me if Cisco can come up with a bag I can carry at my usual speeds without worrying about it coming apart or combusting, I would be set for Christmas and my birthday...”

\-------------------

The drive over to the Starling PD was...awkward. And it wasn't just because the only thing of Caitlin or Felicity's that fit properly was a rather snug pencil skirt and blouse.

...she really needed to keep normal clothing at the Arrow Cave. For emergencies. Alternative, any skirts or dresses she bought would have to be altered so she could run in them. ...and she'd have to find some slip-on running shoes she could keep in her bag...which probably would need reinforcing--

“You and Wells.” 

Oliver's voice yanked her out of her thoughts and she blinked at him. “...yeah....?”

“I know I stopped you before you got very far...”

“You did. And...thank you. I really didn't want my first time to be....me not in control of myself.”

Oliver winced faintly. “...how exactly did you two decide...”

He was prodding tentatively which she appreciated more than Joe's anger and outrage. It wasn't like they had jumped into bed together already! It was just flowers and a date...and some amazing kissing and....Oliver was waiting for an answer.

“After your team left back to Starling, he texted me,” she revealed. “I think he knew I was planning to pretend nothing happened even though I had dropped a pretty huge bombshell on him when I told him how I felt about him...”

“So you two talked over texts?” Oliver side-eyed her.

“No,” she rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. “We talked face to face like adults. It turned out...he had feelings for me, but he had been keeping them to himself. He thought it would be inappropriate of him to act on them given well...I didn't hide my crush and he is a mentor to me...”

“...it would have been,” he agreed grudgingly.

“We decided that...we would start a relationship. And see where it goes.”

“And how s it going?”

“Its only been a week but so far...its been wonderful. He sends me flowers and we went out to this great Italian place a couple nights ago and...” She was starry-eyed and had the dreamiest of smiles on her face.

“And you two haven't....done anything....right?”

“I'm not talking about my sex-life with you,” she huffed and he was still side-eyeing her. “...no. We're not. He's being a gentleman. He made me a promise to not push me into bed until I was absolutely certain I wanted to be there. ...says I make it difficult sometimes but he's been great.”

“...I'm glad. I'm guessing this is your first serious relationship and I just...want you to be safe and happy.”

“My first relationship period,” she admitted. “I never dated before the blind-dates Iris and Eddie sent me up on and...when I was whammied? That was my first real kiss.”

He had not known she was that inexperienced. Oh boy. Thank God he'd had this chat with Thea already....

“Okay. Then when you two do get to the more...physical...stages you...Well there's different birth control methods I'm sure Iris can tell you about...” he started cautiously. “I mean, cause I don't know if the pill work for you with your metabolism...but there are alternatives...”

“....Ollie...I might be sterile thanks to the lighting,” she choked and he jerked on the wheel, taking them into a parking lot; a car horn blared behind them as the driver behind them drove on. 

He parked and turned to face her, a look of horror on his face. “Shit, Carrie, I didn't mean to bring up something painful---!”

“Its okay,” she reassured him, smiling tightly. “Not many people know. I...I haven't even told Felicity about this.”

She swallowed back the tightness in her throat and gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “He hasn't been with anyone since Tess...and he has regular tests with his condition so he's clean. And well I've not been with anyone so I know I'm clean. And since my chances of getting pregnant are very slim...so we'll be fine. Now, we need to get to the PD and question Lance.”

Oliver hesitated before nodding. “...if you ever need to talk...”

“I know. Same to you.”

\--------------------------

She followed Oliver as they walked through the department and they approached Lance and his daughter as they were speaking abut a rash a Break-ins that the DA was wanting answers to. It was always a little weird to see Oliver play up his 'not so bright blond playboy' persona...

“Hey Laurel. Detective. Err...Captain? Captain. Sorry...”

“Don't worry about it,” Lance replied, sipping his coffee; his daughter was looking between the three of them uncertainly. “Its been a while.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Everything is fine,” Oliver reassured her before turning to Carrie. “This is--”

“Katie Allen, right? Didn't you get hit by a bus or something?” Lance asked, eyeing the young CSI.

“Carrie,” she corrected him with as pleasant a smile as she could muster. “And it was lightning, actually.”

“Ahh,” he nodded and looked down to his a daughter, gesturing between the three. “We worked a case together last year.”

“Carrie's a good friend of mine,” Oliver said, “And she's in town on behalf of the Central City Police Department and I was hooping you could help her with it. She can explain it better than I can...”

Dammit Ollie, she thought, keeping that pleasant smile on her face as the gazes of father and daughter fell on her.

“Sure,” Lance agreed

“Oliver, can I talk to you for a moment?” Laurel asked and Carrie barely spared them a glance as they walked away.

Instead she stepped forward, speaking to the Captain. “I'm looking for a suspect you apprehended last year – Klaus Marcos. Do you have any ideas where we might be able to find him? All of his last-knowns are coming up empty...”

“Well I don't really keep up on the skels I busted while walking the beat, you know. I'm not really sentimental that way,” he replied, sipping his coffee again.

Carrie nodded, her smile unfaltering and one of understanding even as she wanted to reach out and shake the man. There had to be a way to find him, repeat offenders were creatures of habit---wait.

Her head tilted thoughtfully. “...what did you arrest him for?”

“Uhhhhh,” he squinted as he thought about it, seeming to go through a mental database. He straightened. “Identity theft. He was using some gizmo to steal credit card numbers for the Bravka – the Russian Mob.”

Wait, what? That meant Oliver was--- Oh he was so in for it.

\-------------------------

After reclaiming her suit from Cisco in the Arrow Cave, she joined Oliver and Roy, both of whom were suited up and watching their surroundings warily.

“So. The Russian Mob?” she asked Oliver with an arched brow.

“Former member, probably. We had a falling out last year,” he replied as Dig approached them. “This is where they run their cyber-crime operation.”

“Nice outfit by the way,” Carrie whispered to Roy, who rolled his eyes and quirked a grin at her before glancing back to Oliver and Dig.

“This place looks like a fortress...”

“Kalishnikovs everywhere,” Dig informed them, his face tight.

“Roy, take the southeast corner – Carrie, you secure the perimeter.”

Securing the perimeter was easy and took no time at all, so she made things a little easier for the boys, by rounding up Kalishnikovs. With how upset they were, she figured it would hopefully take some pressure off of them. After she had secured the unconscious Russians to various chairs in a circle, she watched Oliver approach and gave him a grin. “I had eight seconds to kill.”

He looked at each of the men and then at her. She wilted a bit, her cheerfulness fading as she asked uncertainly. “...was that wrong?”

She huffed at his back as she trotted behind him. “What?”

Oliver kicked in the door of the warehouse's office, which made a lovely distraction as Marcos tried to run...only to be cut off by her. She tilted her head as she regarded him. “Sorry, but my friend wants to have a little conversation with you.”

Blurring forward, she slamming him up against his workstation; his eyes darted between her and Oliver, who held up the reassembled boomerang and spoke in his Arrow voice. “You made this for Digger Harkness. I want to know where he is,”

“Go to hell!” Marcos snapped.

Oliver has an arrow drawn from his quiver and drawn back; Carrie thought it was for intimidation and didn't budge...until he let the arrow fly. She squeaked and jumped to the side as Marcos screamed in pain. And then she felt guilty – she should have caught it, prevented the man's pain--

Striding forward towards Marcos like a predatory animal, Oliver snarled: “The only thing that hurts worse than an arrow going in-” Olive grabbed the shaft of the arrow in Marcos's shoulder, preparing to yank as the man yowled in pain. “-is an arrow coming out.”

Carrie winced behind her mask, reaching forward to grip Oliver's arm – she had promised to let him do things his way but-- There had to be another way.

“Whoa, whoa...What are you doing?!” She demanded, gripping Oliver's shoulder.

“Getting information!” Oliver growled and leaned in closer to Marcos. “Where is he?!” 

“I don't know!” Marcos wailed in pain and fear

“He said he doesn't know!” she tugged on the green leathers of his costume.

“He's lying. If you want to be able to raise your arm again, tell me where he is!”

“Here!” Marcos held up a small, silver smart phone even as he babbled. “Harkness gave it to me. It's encrypted. I had an order ready for him. I called, he came. I don't know where he is, I swear. I swear!”

Oliver took the smart phone, stepping away from Marcos, who sagged to the ground in shock from the pain. The next thing the archer new, she had his ear in a vise-grip.

“Treat his injuries. Now!” There was gold lightning crossing her eyes in a rather ominous manner...

Moments later, Captain Lance got a surprise gift in his office in the form of a wounded Klaus Marcos.


	6. Chapter 6

Returning to the warehouse after leaving Marcos handcuffed to Lance's filing cabinet, she found Oliver where she had left him, studying the encrypted phone. He looked up from the phone at her. “Felicity can crack the encryption and use this to track down Harkness.”

“You tortured that guy,” she said softly.

“I interrogated him,” he corrected her.

A disbelieving scoff escaped her. “I have witnessed plenty of interrogations. And that was not one. We went in with no plan expect yours – make him hurt until he talked. I didn't stop that arrow you fired because I thought you were planning to knick him and then we'd do a good cop/Bad Cop thing---” Her lips tightened and she took a breath. “When my friend said your tactics made you a criminal, I defended you because I thought you were supposed to be a hero. I thought we were supposed to be better than them. And most importantly I thought we were partners.”

“Carrie...” He growled, even as he stalked towards her. “You live in Central City, where it's sunny all the time and your enemies get cute nicknames. You're not in Central City.”

“Yeah,” she agreed bitterly.

“I live in a city where my best friend was murdered, where a woman that I loved was shot full of arrows and sent tumbling off a rooftop. Where my mother was murdered right in front of me. So before you--”

“My mother was murdered in front of me, too,” she interrupted him, her voice even and strangely calm for the normally bouncy young woman; perhaps that startled him more into silence than if she had yelled. “I've had innocent people and friends die on my watch too. But I don't use my personal tragedies and insecurities as an excuse to just torture whoever pisses me off.”

“Well, I'm sorry, Carrie, I'm not as emotionally healthy as you are,” he sneered.

Her head snapped back, a hot blush of disbelief and anger rising on her cheeks as he stormed past her. Infuriated, she turned to watch him. “What's wrong with you?!”

“When we agreed that you were staying, we decided that it would be on my terms,” he said, turning to face her, his voice tight and raised. “If that is proving too difficult for you, you know your way back to Central City.”

\--------

There was an uneasy, uncomfortable silence in the Arrow Cave as Felicity worked on breaking the encryption. Carrie curled up on the stairwell, staring at Harrison's contact information – the picture of him there, his blue eyes and faint quirk of his lips wasn't cheering her up as much as she had hoped. 

Oliver was like her brother...she valued his opinions and had viewed their 'working' relationship as a partnership where they were both equal... But apparently he didn't. What was she to him? A sidekick?

If it wouldn't be a sign of giving up, she'd have run back to Central City and crawled back into bed with Harrison and not come back out until it was the new year...

Felicity's voice rang out: “I got him. He's in a warehouse at the corner of Infantino and Adams.”

Carrie watched them gather around Felicity's work station before she locked her phone, tucking it back into the hidden pocket on the inside of her suit with her chapstick.

Lyka straigtened a bit, her voice tight: “Is that--”

“A.R.G.U.S. spy satellite? Yeah. Maybe,” Felicity coughed nervously before continuing. “Thermographic imaging shows ten bodies inside.”

“Harkness knows we're coming,” Dig murmured.

“I can track the cell phone's position with this,” Cisco said, holing up the smart phone.

“Cisco, you're with Diggle and Roy,” Oliver told the engineer before turning, heading to where Carrie had stood up.

Their eyes locked; her normally warm, soft blue eyes were...eerily vacant as she regarded him. Her voice was low, emotionless. “I'll see you there.”

In a crackle of gold, she was gone, leaving the Arrow Cave behind.

\--------

Most of the time running helped improve her mood; Harrison said it was because the endorphin released acted as mood boosters. It wasn't working – all she wanted to do was let her feet take her back to him.

But she didn't. Not until this was finished.

She was there before the others and tore through the warehouse, taking down the hired muscle and tying them to various chairs. As she was doing a head-count, Oliver entered, an arrow knocked in his bow-string and eyes scannin the room.

“You're late,” she said absently and opened her mouth to warn him about the last of the men when his bowstring twanged and the man who had been coming out of hiding for a sneak attack hit the ground with a thud. “Oh there you are...” she muttered and frowned as the man didn't move, glancing at Oliver. “He's not dead, right??

“Tranq arrow,” he replied. “Same thing I used on you in Central City.”

Dig and Roy entered cautiously, weapons at the ready. The unease Carrie had since not finding Harkness in the biker bar was increasing.

“Cisco has the van running.”

“I see you met Harkness' hired muscle....” Roy muttered.

Oliver growled. “Harkness isn't here...” he turned to one of the bound men and barked: “Hey! Where's Digger Harkness?”

“Never met 'em.” the grizzled biker shrugged before holding out his smart phone. “But he paid us 10 Gs to give you this.”

She watched as Oliver took the phone, turning back to Dig, who muttered. “Ten'll get you twenty this belongs to Harkness.”

“What does that mean?” Roy grunted in frustration.

“That Harkness played you,” Carrie stated before disappearing in her signature trail of lightning; they had left Lyla and the others vulnerable back at the Arrow Cave.

\---------

She entered chaos – a firefight between Lyla and Harkness, with Caitlin behind cover and Felicity reaching for one of the arrowhead gadgets in one of the cases. A boomerang was slicing through the air for Lyla and Carrie knew there wasn't enough time to pull it out of midair.

So she did the only thing she could do – pull Lyla behind her and let it strike her in the chest instead. Felicity was screaming at Lyla to pull Carrie to cover as she hurled the explosive arrow-head at Harkness, who had froze in surprise at being able to hit the red-clad speedster.

It hurt. Oh did it hurt, Carrie thought in a haze of pain, her head and shoulders propped up on Layla's lap as Felicity held her hands tightly around the boomerang to stem to blood-flow. There was darkness crowding the edges of her vision and she felt light-headed form the pain and blood-loss.

An incoherent sound escaped her as she tried to ask where Harkness was, but all she could faintly hear was the three women talking. Caitlin was saying something about painkillers not working for Carrie and trying to reassure Felicity about the rapid healing factor. 

And then Carrie's eyes rolled back in her head as she passed out.


	7. Chapter 7

If she wasn't the Flash she might not have survived; as it was, she was weakened from blood-loss, even after her body had regenerated the damage from the boomerang's point puncturing her chest. Thankfully it hadn't hit any vital arteries or her heart – as fast as her heart beat, she'd have died before the wounds closed.

As she groaned in pain, slowly coming back to consciousness. Her eyes opened and her vision was blurry as her head lolled to the side; there was an IV pole, with multiple IV bags drained dry. There was a since of dejavu before she locked eyes with Dig, who was standing over her with Lyla at his side.

“She's awake,” Lyla called over to the others.

“Kiddo,” Dig's hand was gentle but shaking as he brushed her hair back in a paternal pet. “That was...the craziest thing you could have done but thank you...”

“She's family,” Carrie slurred. “Protect...family...”

“You just met me,” Lyla scolded her.

“Dig's wife,” she mumbled as she shifted atop the table she was laying on in a futile attempt to get comfortable. Oh how she missed her beloved medical bed back at the Lab...

They didn't reprimand her about them not being married – Dig's free arm was tight around Lyla's waist and her hand was gripping the back of his coat.

Caitlin approached, replacing the IV bags with a fresh set before leaning in, checking Carrie's injury. “Looks like you're healed up. Any lingering soreness?”

“Some,” she admitted groggily. “Can't tell if its from being on this table or from the injury though...”

“When your levels are stable, I'll let you up so you can stretch,” the doctor promised.

“Can I have some Big Belly Burgers?”

“Cisco and Roy are getting you some. On Oliver's dime.” Felicity leaned on on Carrie's other side, her pale face pinched with worry.

“Harkness. Any leads?” she asked the hacker.

“Nothing yet, he's laying low.”

It wasn't long after that she was allowed up to eat the feast that Cisco and Roy had brought back. Dig and Lyla were staring wide-eyed as Carrie scarfed down over twenty-five super-deluxe combo meals in the span of seconds.

“Holy shit,” Roy whistled, eyeing the slim blond – if hadn't just seen that...

“...I need to stock this place with some of my special protein bars,” Cisco agreed. “Otherwise Oliver will go broke trying to feed her.”

“Speaking of Oliver, where is he?”

Felicity nodded to a distant corner of the Arrow Cave. An amused snort left Carrie. Of course.

\--------------------

He was leaning up against a support beam, staring at the damage done to the Arrow Cave when she found him. “This is all my fault.”

“It's really not,” she rolled her eyes at him; they had peeled the jacket of her suit off to treat her and now as Cisco was repairing it, she wore one of her tank tops with the suit's pants.

“I tortured Marcos to give up that phone,” he reminded her. “None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me.”

“I get the feeling you don't say that very often,” she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest.

“To do what I do, Carrie, it takes conviction,” he said, turning back to face her. “But... More often than not, it's the will to do what's ugly. Every time I do that, I'm I'm trading away little...pieces...of myself. So-” he took a breath, exhaling shakily. “You asked what's wrong with me, that's-- that's what's wrong, because the part that I'm trading away is Oliver Queen. And lately...I've been feeling like there is...” he paused, grappling with his thoughts. “...nothing left except the Arrow.”

“I think you're full of crap,” she retorted and his eyebrows went up right as her hands latched on both of his ears, dragging him down despite his yelp of pain. “You listen to me right now, Oliver Jonas Queen!” Everyone else who could hear them winced at the use of the full name. “You've convinced yourself that everything you've been through took away your humanity. But you know what?” She shook him, her hold tight on his ears despite his attempted to pry her hands free. “I think it's because of your humanity that you made it through. You wouldn't have survived, much less come out the other end a hero, somebody who wants to do good, if you didn't have a light inside of you.”

There stared at each other for a long moment, her grip no longer painful on his ears – instead she now cradled his face in her hands. “You are a good man, Oliver Queen. Don't let them steal your light away. You are better than them in every way and you will act like it, do you understand me?”

Felicity's computer pinged and she checked it; her eyes widened as she turned in her chair, calling out to them: “I'm sorry if I'm interrupting - I ran facial recognition on Harkness and I have a match!”

Oliver's head lifted, turning from Carrie's gentle grip to stare at the hacker. “Where is he?”

\-----------------------------------

It was the train station. Of course.

Already Carrie was having flashbacks to her first real fight with Leonard Snart...

This time though, she zipped everyone away before they even confronted Digger Harkness. He was glancing around, following what he could see of that gold lightning trail as the people around him vanished in a span of seconds. 

The red-clad speedster came to a halt feet away from him in her hastily repaired and cleaned suit, watching him coolly. His head was tilted as those dark eyes raked over the speedster before him.

“If I hadn't seen you fall, I'd think you never were hurt,” he admitted in reluctant admiration.

“I heal fast.” Carrie replied as Oliver pulled back on his bow, an arrow trained right between Harkness's eyes. 

“On the ground,” the Arrow growled.

Harkness laughed at him. “Why would I want to do that?”

“You hurt one of my family,” he bristled. “You really think there's anywhere in the world you could run where we won't find you?”

The dark eyes glanced between the two of them in speculation. “Hmm, probably not...” His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Which is why I have a contingency in place.” That he barely had time to set up when the hunt had started.... In his hand, which he lifted for them to see was... Carrie straightened. That was a remote. And it just beeped. “Five bombs planted throughout Starling. Now, you can stop me, or you can stop the bombs. But you can't do both. With these bombs armed this city will be on fire in ninety-seconds.”

“Like hell it will,” she hissed and vanished in a crackle of gold lightning. As she ran, she activated the comm in her ear. “Guys! Harkness just triggered five bombs throughout the city. We don't know where.” 

Over the comm she could hear Cisco and Felicity's back and forth.

“To blanket the entire city, he'd have to use--”

“Radio controlled IEDs.”

“But if we key into the detonator's frequency--”

“We can pinpoint the location of the bombs.”

“I need a location! I need five locations!” she called out urgently as she raced through Starling City in a near panic.

“The five receivers--”

“Nearest one is behind a restaurant at Faith and Flower,” Cisco told her and she turned almost on a dime.

In the alleyway behind the busy restaurant, she zipped back and forth, opening containers and trash cans carefully. And then there it was oh lord--- She took a breath. “Ok, hey, guys, I found it. I'm going to run it out of the city--”

“Carrie, wait!” Felicity's voice had her pausing before her hands touched the bomb. 

“That's not an option,” she reminded them.

“We think the bombs might be linked,” Cisco warned her.

Her shoulders slumped. “What?!” 

“Press the emblem on your suit. I installed a mini-cam there last week,” he instructed her and as she did, she made a note to be very careful with it in the future if she and Harrison ever got frisky in her suit again. “Okay. You see the secondary trigger? It's not just a receiver--”

“It's a transmitter,” she breathed.

“Carrie, if you try to defuse the bomb, the secondary trigger's going to transmit a signal and the rest of the bombs are going to explode,” Felicity said grimly.

“We're running out of time,” Roy's voice was faint over the comm.

“You have to defuse all the bombs at the same time.”

“You're thinking of Multiplex,” she said in exasperation. “I can't be in five places at once...” And then an idea so crazy it had to work struck her. “But I don't have to be....”

She snagged Roy first – she figured he'd put up more resistance if he saw her take one of the others before him. Once she set him down, she looped back for Caitlin, then Felicity, and finally Cisco. Once they were all in place, she could hear Cisco's voice over the comm.

“Okay. Everyone has to cut their wire exactly on three. One... Two.... Three!”

Carrie winced even as she snipped the wire. Te lack of explosions had her sagging in relief.

Cisco's loud exhale of relief echoed in her ear as he muttered: “Screw you, Captain Boomerang.”

Laughing weakly, she sat back and from the corner of her eye saw a flicker of red lightning. Turning her head, she saw...nothing. Maybe it had been her imagination...

She sped away, returning to the train station. 

“It means I have some humanity left,” Oliver was saying as she arrived. 

She found that Harkness was pinned to one of the concrete pillars by a razor-wire stretched between two arrows on either side of his neck. The man was still alive so that was a plus... He was looking between them, panic starting to appear in those dark eyes. As Oliver turned away, walking toward her, Harkness was reaching into his bandoleer for one of his boomerangs; as he was lifting it, Oliver spun, an arrow drawn, knocked, and launched, pinning Harkness's hand to the pillar.

The criminal howled in pain but fought the urge to arch up in agony to keep from slitting his own throat. 

Carrie's shoulders slumped in relief and she gave him a faint smile. “You just couldn't resist, could you?”

He smirked faintly at her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The interactions between Slade Wilson, Carrie, ect was inspired by this amazing fic, go read - it captures Slade's character perfectly! http://archiveofourown.org/works/3718036/chapters/8232673

With a call from Lyla, ARGUS swooped in to eagerly take Digger Harkness into custody to Lian Yu. As the Arrow and the Flash, they joined the team as a security precaution.

And it also gave Carrie a chance to see Lian Yu; her face was practically plastered to the window, her normal dislike of heights forgotten. In fact, she was babbling about the weather patterns of the region and then the local fauna and flora, she was literally wiggling in glee – this was the farthest from her home she'd ever been, even with her super-speed.

Harkness was glancing at the red-clad speedster in exasperation – at least it hadn't been a solo take down, so the fact one of the parties hadn't just been the hyper kid was a relief. He'd never have lived that down...

Lyla smiled faintly at the excitement the young vigilante was showing. “We're going to be landing soon.”

“Thank God,” Harkness muttered, gaining some raised eyebrows and a snicker from one of the ARGUS escorts.

Oliver rolled his eyes as Carrie kept babbling, apparently not having heard Lyla. “Kid. Hey. Seat belt.”

More babbling. 

Something about the mating habits of the local fruit flies. 

He lifted a hand, waited a moment a moment to see if she'd snap out of it and when she didn't...then the resounding slap that echoed as he hand landed full force across the younger vigilante's backside was followed by her howl of pain and outrage. It was worth getting tackled onto the plane's floor in front of the ARGUS agents.

Not worth getting his ear and face pulled on though. “Ow!”

Also not worth--- “What'd I say about biting people?!”

Harkness was torn between amusement and disgust – these were the ones who took him down. The little speedster was making the Arrow soft...and he knew it too.

Lyla cleared her throat and the pair separated, the Flash now sitting beside Lyla, who had scooted a bit over for the slim vigilante.

“Well, we know who the favorite is,” one of the Agents muttered in amusement, watching the Flash stick 'his' tongue out at the Arrow.

“Kid took a boomerang to the chest for her. I'd say that's a sealed deal,” another snorted.

On the island, the Flash was zipping around, examining the airport, wanting to go off and explore before being snagged at the scruff by the Arrow. “No. Landmines.”

“I wonder if I'd go too fast to trip them?”

“We're not finding out!” he snapped, practically dragging her behind him.

“Awwww....” she pouted faintly at Lyla, who covered her mouth to hide a grin. 

No wonder Dig liked the kid...if she had been younger and didn't already have a pair of fathers – a situation Dig had told her all about once the Flash's identity had been accidentally compromised – Lyla would have agreed with Dig's comments about adoption. Idly she wondered how many gray hairs the kid had given her fathers, especially the cop.

…how many has she given Oliver?

Slade Wilson glowered out his cell door at the group coming down the corridor.

“Bastard,” he greeted the Arrow and his eye shifted to the Flash. “....new sidekick? You have a liking for kids in red leather?”

“Is this the Wilson guy?” The kid bounced up on 'his' toes to get a look inside Wilson's cell.

“Yes. Don't get close,” Oliver grumbled, scruffing the kid. 

“...Harkness.” Wilson glared at the newcomer, who grunted back at him, examining the cells.

“Don't even think about escaping,” Lyla warned him.

“I get the feeling I'm not allowed out until ARGUS wants me out,” he snorted as he was pushed into his cell.

“You're right on the money,” she agreed turning back to the Arrow and the Flash.

Wilson was eyeballing the hyper kid at the Arrow's side. “So what's the deal with this one, Bastard? Seems hyped up on something....tad hypocritical of you...”

“I'm not high, just naturally hyper,” the Flash responded, vaguely insulted. “No room to run on the plane. Need to run....”

“Landmines,” the Arrow sighed, snagging the back of the Flash's suit again. “No.”

\----------

“So is everything taken care of?” Felicity asked as they returned to the Arrow cave hours later- Carrie had been more than eager to stretch her legs once they touched down again.

“Digger Harkness is now cell mates with one Slade Wilson.” Oliver confirmed.

“We've got a Pipeline, he's got a gorgeous tropical island.”

“With landmines,” Felicity and Oliver reminded her in unison.

Felcity arched a brow at Oliver.

“...she kept wanting to run off and explore.”

“Ahh.”

Carrie's eyes fell on the new mannequin display they had set up just for her. She was beside it in a crackle of lightning. “What's this?”

“I figured it wouldn't hurt to be ready for the next time you come to town...” Oliver told her as she gawked at the empty display. 

“This is for me...?” Carrie blinked back tears, touching the display. “There'll be a next time?”

“I'm still calling the shots,” he insisted.

Her smile was watery. “We'll talk about that.”

“Yes, we will,” he agreed. “And then I'll call the shots.”

Cisco popped up beside them holding a plain, white garment box. “We got a gift for you, too, Oliver. Early Christmas present.” He passed the box to Oliver, who opened it to reveal a new green coat for his own suit. “Turns out STAR Labs' industrial fabricator was based out of Starling, so Polymer Kevlar weave. It's 25% lighter and can carry 15% more gear. I've got designs I'm working up that I'm really excited by.”

Oliver held it, marveling at its lightweight and the fact that they had made it for him after he had been kinda a douche to them... “It's, uh, it's subtle.”

“I wanted to replace the hood, but, uh, Felicity said it had sentimental value.” Cisco said.

Oliver looked over at Felicity, who smiled back at him before looking away bashfully. “Thank you.”

“Any time.”

“You guys headed back?” Roy asked.

“Yeah. Dr Wells wasn't too thrilled with us ending up here and Carrie getting hurt... I'm actually relieved he and Detective West didn't decide to show up...” Caitlin admitted.

“Hey, do you still, like, take the train?” Roy asked Carrie in curiosity.

“Yeah, sure, if I feel like taking a nap,” Carrie replied. “And I actually could use one. But first...”

She turned to Oliver. “You were wrong.”

“...about...?” 

“When you told me I could inspire people, you said you couldn't. But you were wrong-- you can inspire,” she informed him and her lips quirked faintly. “Not as the Arrow, that guy's a douche.”  
Oliver couldn't help but snort and heard a few of the others muffle their own laughter. “But as Oliver Queen.”

“...thank you.”

“Well I figured I owned it to you after the debacle on the plane ride to Lian Yu....”

“What happened on the plane ride...?” Felicity looked between them,

“They ended up acting like a pair of children, rolling around and fighting on the floor of the plane,” Lyla said in amusement.

“I bit him again,” Carried admitted.

“What have I said about biting people?!” Caitlin asked in exasperation.

“He started it!”


	9. Chapter 9

It was a long train ride back to Central City but it gave her a chance to rest. After making sure Cisco and Caitlin were off to their own homes, she sent Harrison a text. He responded almost immediately and she sped over to his place.

She sat with him on the couch, curled up at his side, allowing him to inspect the healed wound she had acquired. His fingertips were so gentle on the skin of her upper breast and she wondered how he'd react if she moved it lower...

“A few millimeters here...” he moved his fingertips, dragging them over her skin, a slight frown between his brows. “And you'd have...”

“I know,” she admitted. “I wasn't able to even really think things were going so fast I just....reacted. I should up my training more...”

“Tomorrow.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Tonight you should get some rest.”

\---------------

The next morning she found herself at crime scene located in Mercury Labs. Apparently there had been an attempted break-in in the late hours, two security guards dead and a scientist rattled...

By a man in yellow who moved in a crackle of red lightning.

She hugged herself, a hand pressed over her mouth to keep from screaming as Joe and Eddie spoke to the witnesses. There wasn't really a crime scene to process and all she wanted to do was runrunrunrun...

He really was back. The man in the lightning, the man in the yellow...

He was back, right as she had found happiness with Harrison, as she was discovering herself and her abilities with STAR Labs...

“He's been back for a few weeks,” Joe admitted, gaining sharp looks from her and Eddie. “He...paid a visit to me a couple weeks ago. He took all the evidence from your mother's case....”

“You...couldn't have mentioned this earlier?!” she asked in hurt and outrage.

“I couldn't. He...he threatened to kill Iris,” Joe admitted, causing Eddie and Carrie to straighten in alarm.

\---------------

“The witnesses described seeing a yellow blur...just like the one that killed Carrie's mother,” Joe explain to the assembled Team Flash. 

He was pointedly not looking at where Carrie sat by Wells, who was holding her hand; Iris sat on Carrie's other side, rubbing her shoulder soothingly as Salma set a tray of hot beverages down.

“Here, have some cocoa to steady your nerves,” the older woman murmured, passing the mug to Carrie.

“Thank you,” the speedster replied weakly. “...I thought...I was imagining things when I saw a crackle of red lightning out of the corner of my eye after defusing that bomb,” Carrie admitted. “But now...”

“Then we need to get cracking and stop this speed psycho,” Cisco nodded in determination and fidgeted awkwardly. “That--I wasn't trying to give him a name--”

Carrie's hand was tight on Harrison's. “The crime scene at Mercury Labs was on a floor with highly secured vaults, and the witness said he was looking for something.”

“Whatever it was, he wanted it badly,” Wells agreed. “Enough to kill for it.”

Joe finally looked at Wells. “Doctor, what do you know about this Mercury Labs?”

“Mercury was one of STAR Labs' major competitors until our little setback, and then it catapulted to the forefront led by...” he leaned in with his free hand, tapping his keyboard to bring information up onto the main monitor – it was a female scientist that Carrie thought looked familiar. “Dr. Christina McGee, brilliant but egocentric physicist.”

“It says here Dr. McGee has secured half a billion dollars in private funding to develop,” Cisco read off of his tablet, “and I quote: 'prototypes for the technology of the future'.”

“Well, I'll be...” Harrison hummed thoughtfully. “Tina's messing with tachyons!” All eyes were on the wheelchair bound scientists at the way he said that. “Superluminal particles.”

“Of course...” Joe muttered. “So what could someone do with one of those--” he moved his hand in frustration, his fingers wiggling in a faintly beckoning gesture for the word”

“Tachyons,” Harrison supplied.

“Thank you.”

“Well, I don't know,” he shrugged. “Become invincible? if you could devise a matrix stable enough to harness their power, you could travel faster than light.”

Her hand was tight around his as she looked to her lover. “He's gonna try to get them again...” 

“And he's already proven willing to kill to get it,” Singh said grimly.

“So how do we stop him?” Eddie asked. 

“We need to get what Mercury has and use it as a lure,” Carrie replied softly.

“Exactly right,” Harrison nodded. “Cisco, Caitlin, let's start engineering a trap.”

“You got it!” Cisco nodded.

Caitlin rose to her feet, gently patting Carrie's shoulder. “Of course.”

Harrison lifted the hand he held, pressing a kiss to Carrie's hand in a rare public display of affection. “Don't worry, everything will be alright...”

Singh snagged Joe's arm to keep him from stepping forward. The Captain and Detective locked eyes and Singh shook his head in a clear message: Now was not the time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight scenes are hard as hell. Made harder by going at super-speed x.x

The waiting was the worst part for a speedster in general; compounding it with the fact that this would be information that could help catch her mother's real killer and set her father free...it made her antsy. The smile Harrison sent her was reassuring and she just wanted to crawl into his lap, be held in his arms, irregardless of them being in the precinct right now.

She was close to doing just that when Dr McGee approached them. Carrie straightened, stepping towards the older woman, stretching a hand out. “Carrie Allen. Thank you for coming in.”

“Dr. Tina McGee. I assume this is about last night's break-in?” The handshake was briskly professional and she glanced over at Harrison with blatant suspicion.

“Well, yes and no,” he replied

“That's usually how things are with you, aren't they, Harrison?” There was a bit of a bite to her words and there was no humor in his answering grin.

“We believe that whoever broke in was after one of your prototypes,” Carrie interjected, regaining the older scientist's attention.

“You'll have to narrow that down. We have literally hundreds of projects in development.”

Carrie glanced to Harrison and the smile he gave her was reassuring before she pulled on her confidence, looking Dr McGee in the eyes. “One containing tachyonic particles.”

The exchange had not gone unnoticed by the older woman. She focused her attention on Harrison, even as he sipped his coffee; as she spoke, Dr McGee's eyes occasionally darted back to Carrie. “We've had encouraging success with tachyons, yes, but there's still a significant gap between our prototype and any real-life application.”

“We were hoping you would lend us,” Carrie glanced at Harrison and then back to Dr McGee, “your prototype to use as a lure.”

“'Us'?” Her eyebrows shot up as she regarded Harrison in disbelief. “You're assisting the police now, Harrison?”

“I'm consulting on this particular case,” he admitted, setting his coffee cup on the desk beside Carrie, moving his chair forward – to Carrie's side. “Listen, Tina, once this man is apprehended, your prototype will be promptly returned. You know nobody wants to ensure the future's technology more than me.”

“I appreciate the CCPD's concerns, Ms. Allen, but Mercury is quite capable of protecting its own assets,” she said, glancing back and forth between Carrie and Harrison. “Good luck with your manhunt.”

That...had to be a particularly strange conversation and... 

“...do you think she knows we're dating...?” the words started before she could think about it and stopped abruptly, blushing hotly.

“She might suspect,” Harrison agreed, taking her hand in his and rubbing a reassuring thumb across her knuckles. “After all, you are an exceptional young woman in both brilliance and beauty. Any man would be lucky to have your affections. And I consider myself to be the luckiest man alive for that reason alone.”

The blush deepened and she smiled adoringly at him. “And I consider myself the luckiest woman alive to be loved by a man as amazing as you.”

Across the room, Hunter sat at his desk behind a stack of paperwork and watched the pair wrapped in their own world. So far Wells seemed to be treating her well; he'd noticed the extra care Carrie seemed to be putting into her appearance since the reveal that she and the older man were dating...

...they seemed happy, he seemed to be treating her wonderfully, and Hunter didn't know if it was his own jealousy or perhaps Joe's distrust of the man rubbing off on him... But he just didn't trust Harrison Wells.

\---------------

The man who killed her mother had stolen all the evidence from Joe; paranoid that her copies would be next, she was making duplicates of the information on her board, storing it away. Iris watched her carefully preserving the copies, packing them up to be hidden at STAR Labs.

“Care-bear...”

“Hi, sis...” she murmured absently as Iris walked over, looking down at the newspaper clippings.

“Your Mom's case....”

“I used to study this board every day,” she admitted, turning back to it. “Lately, I haven't looked at it as much as I should have...that I've let myself forget...”

“Your mother would be the first person to tell you that you shouldn't have your life on hold until you solve her death,” Iris reminded her. “She would be the first one to tell you to find your happiness and hold on to it. That thing Bliss unleashed on you only wore her face – it wasn't her.”

Nodding jerkily, she swallowed back the thick feeling in her throat – she wasn't going to cry. Not now. Giving Iris a watery smile, she quipped. “You're right. If you ever get out of the investigative journalism, you'd be a great advice columnist...”

“Harhar, Care-bear,” she snorted. “I get enough issues in my relationships to even thin about meddling in other peoples.”

“I though things were going good with you and Eddie....?”

“Oh things are great! He finally gave me a key to his place,” Iris replied. “Its just telling Dad that I want to move in with him...”

“Oh. Yeah...” Carrie winced. “He blew his top pretty spectacularly already about Harrison and me deciding to start dating...”

“I worry about his heart. What if he works himself up into a heart-attack? Or a stroke. He's not as young as he used to be...”

“I know. Don't worry though, I'll help you move in after the holidays,” Carrie gave her sister sympathetic smile. “One less stress to worry about.”

“Thank you,” Iris sighed in relief, giving her sister a hug. “You try not to stress too much either. You've got enough on your plate right now...”

“I'll do my best...” she murmured and things were quiet and somber once her sister was gone.

After packing up the last of the duplicates, she picked up her phone to call Harrison when lightning crackles outside and thunder boomed. She looked up as the lights dimmed for a split-second. “Oh come on...”

With a groan, she went around, making sure the shutters were secured – even with the repairs after her accident, it still would leak at times and she didn't want to have to come back in and clean up a mess...

Looking out the window to see if the rain had started, the lightning flickered again and her eyes caught on a figure standing on the rooftop of the building across form her lab. Her hands covered her mouth to muffle her scream of surprise and terror as she stared at the yellow figure from her nightmares.

He was staring at her, with those red-eyes...staring into the previously believed safe-haven that was her lab. She didn't know how long they stared at each other before he darted down the side of the building in a crackle of red lightning.

Her fight and flight reflex warred for a split-second before she was following him, grabbing her coat and pulling it on as she ran, wreathed in her own trail of gold lightning. He lead her into a blind alley, away from the flow of pedestrians and traffic. 

He stood there, his face a blur; it was like what she would do, to hide her face from others as the Flash. 

Was it her fear that made him seem so tall? 

Those red eyes seemed to burn into her...

“It was you,” she was shivering but she didn't feel the cold of the December night around her. “You were the one in my house that night...”

His head tilted as he studied her, but remained silent.

“Why? Why did you kill my mother?” 

“If you want to know that,” he rumbled, his voice deep and obviously altered. “You're gonna have to catch me.”

He took off again and she chased him despite her terror, following his crimson trail.

He was going just fast enough to be a step ahead, so that all she could see was the yellow of his back and the crimson of his lightning. The chase was going all over the city until finally they came to a halt in the center of the stadium where weeks ago she had confronted Mr Bliss.

The stands were empty and it was dark except for the ambient light; the red of his eyes glowed ominously as she panted for breath. Her chest was tight – from fear, not exertion despite the brutal pace he had lead.

“Is...is this some sort of game to you?!” She finally screamed at him.

He didn't reply, merely stood there – his posture was tight, ready to lunge forward. Heartbeat pounding in her ears, the muscles of her legs tensed, coiled...and then they raced at one another across the field, leaving trails of crimson and gold respectively behind them.

And she went flying through the air, somersaulting until she slammed into the AstroTurf, the breath whooshing out of her lungs. He loomed over her, staring down at her.

“Not fast enough, Flash. You need to try harder.”

Her back teeth ground together and as he darted away, she was scrambling after him – he led her throughout the stadium, staying just out of her reach yet again. Every time she got close enough, she tried to grab him before in frustration, when she drew near enough, would just lash out and punch at him. A couple connected, though with not as much force as she wished.

His returning punches...those hurt like hell.

They looped around she didn't know how many times – through the stands, the corridors and back towards the field when he abruptly spun around, catching her with a punch that sent her tumbling yet again across the AstroTurf.

His foot slammed into her side, sending her rolling back; in a crackle of crimson he was there, standing over her. Lashing out with a foot, she intended to take out his knee, only for him to snag her ankle, dragging her over the AstroTurf. She grabbed at his shoulders, her free foot finding enough purchase so that she could spring up off the ground in an attempt to tackle him.

It failed as he slammed her bodily back down. He pinned her, those red eyes boring into her.

“Who are you?” She wheezed, struggling until she felt his hands tighten in warning.

“You know who I am, Carrie,” he replied.

She shook her head, speaking through gritted teeth; she could taste blood in her mouth... “I don't know who you are!”

“But you do, Carrie.” One of his hands moved, cupping her chin and the leather of his gloves was cool as it swiped at the corner of her mouth, wiping at the blood there. “You need to get stronger. I won't always pull my punches with you. And your future opponents won't either.”

In a sudden crackle of crimson, he was gone as abruptly as he had appeared, leaving her laying there in the darkened stadium in confusion and fear.


	11. Chapter 11

Curled up in one of the rolling chairs with a mug of Salma's cocoa, she shivered; she hadn't been able to sleep at all and even in the daylight she still felt terrified. Even with Harrison in his chair beside hers, she still felt like he could run in any second and take her away from them. “He acted like he knew me...like I knew him!”

“He was antagonizing you, Care-bear,” Joe soothed her, sitting across from her; he was not liking the almost vacant stare in her eyes. All she told them was she had a confrontation with the man in the yellow suit. There were no visible injuries, but with her enhanced healing rate that meant nothing...

“I would get close, and he'd just pull away...” her fingers were tight on the mug, the skin over her knuckles taunt and white. 

“You'll catch him,” Harrison soothed her, reaching out, removing the mug from her and gently taking her hand in his. “We'll help.”

Miserable, she shook her head. “His speed, it is--it's beyond me. He moved like...he had grabbed me before I could even respond, before I could even see it...” She clutched his hand desperately; it was like a lifeline right now, holding her afloat in the turmoil of her current state. “I'm not the fastest person alive. He is. He's faster and physically superior to me. How do we catch somebody that even I can't keep up with?”

“The beautiful thing about force fields, Carrie, is they're impervious to speed,” he reassured her. “Now, we're almost finished fabricating the trap, and all that remains is for your father to procure the bait.”

“I'm on it,” Joe agreed, rising to his feet. He eyed Carrie as she shifted to stand as well; he didn't want to suggest it but it might be safer in her current state... “Care-bear, why don't you stay here?”

“No, Joe, today is not the day to tell me to stay behind,” her lips were a thin line and her blue eyes were flinty. 

Harrison squeezed her hand reassuringly. “We'll have everything ready when you two get back.”

Her eyes softened and she leaned in, hugging him tightly. “Thank you.”

His eyes met Joe's over her shoulder as he rubbed her back.

\-----------------------

Tense and taunt as one of the Arrow's bowstrings, she watched Dr McGee study the warrant Joe had handed her. “If Judge Hankerson was gonna sign this, he would have done so already.”

“Look, I'm sure you don't want this investigation to get any more public than it's already been, do you, doctor?” Joe asked in a mixture of exasperation and annoyance. 

“This has Harrison Wells written all over it in big, black letters,” she snapped at them. “I am not giving you my tachyon prototype.”

“The man after your prototype is very dangerous. He's already killed two of your security guards,” Carrie interjected and bristled at the condescending look the older woman gave her.

“We have increased our security measures, it won't happen again!”

There was a near audible snap of Carrie's temper getting the best of her. Her voice was controlled, level as her spine stiffened, her soft eyes becoming flinty and cold. “It was quite the tour of your facility, Doctor. You were fine to let us 'dumb cops' walk around, but I majored in physics and chemistry, and I saw quite a bit that Science Showcase Magazine would love to hear about.” There was a primal satisfaction at the way the older woman recoiled as though physically slapped; Carrie's voice took on a dark purr. “So should I call their editors directly or just leave a few posts on their website?”

“You'll have the tachyon device within the hour,” Dr McGee seethed, her eyes raking over the CSI's slender form in distaste. “I see why Harrison holds you in such esteem, Ms. Allen. You're very much alike.”

Joe's eyebrows raised up as he watched Dr McGee stalk away. He turned and glanced down at his foster daughter, looking quite impressed. “Nicely done, Care-bear. I didn't know you had that in you.”

“She pushed me into a corner when she wouldn't listen to reason,” Carrie replied, her jaw clenched. “He's a killer and he won't stop killing until he gets what he wants and even then...he might just keep killing...”

\-------

It had been delivered, just like Dr McGee had promised. Which was good because Carrie had been more than willing to go through with her threat.

They stood in Cortex of STAR Labs, Carrie peering over Cisco's shoulder at the unassuming looking device on one of the Cortex's monitors.

“The tachyon device is in place,” Cisco said grimly.

“You think it'll work...?” Carrie asked, a sudden wave of uncertainty causing her voice to waver.

“It'll work,” he reassured her before stepping away from the monitor and heading out of the Cortex.

Taking a breath, she held it before exhaling. “So...how do we advertise to him that the prototype's here? I imagine we can't put up a big billboard...” 

Harrison smiled at her, a quirk of his lips that she always adored under less stressful circumstances. “We'll take care of that.”

As she looked up, she noticed Joe and Harrison exchanging a glance. “What's wrong? Is there a problem?”

Joe's jaw worked and he nodded as he and Harrison exchanged another glance. His eyes shifted back to her face. “Look, Care-bear, Me and Dr. Wells have spoken, and well... We think it would be best if you weren't here for this.”

Her eyebrows went up. Joe had voluntarily talked to Harrison? Civilly? Of course it'd take the reappearance of her mother's killer... Carrie's eyes darted from Joe to Harrison. “What are you talking about?”

“You're too close to this,” Joe insisted, dragging her eyes back to him.

“Or maybe you're not close enough,” she replied sharply. “If you hadn't been too scared and warned me that he was here weeks ago, I could have been prepared for this. I could have been ready for him at the stadium and he wouldn't have--”

She cut herself off, taking in a sharp breath, her hands trembling and face flushed hotly.

Harrison took her hand in his. “I think we can all appreciate Joe's concern for Iris, Carrie...” 

“You think I'm not scared for her? For you, Joe, everyone? I'm scared out of my mind right now but I also know that's why I have to be here. I'm the best chance at catching this guy.”

“Not right now, not in this state.” Joe disagreed harshly. “You're shaking, Carrie.”  
She was shaking, Carrie realized. She was trembling in terror, even holding Harrison's hand.

“I have to try,” she said. “This is the man who stabbed my mother through the heart and sent my father to prison for it. This is my fight.”

“Not today,” Joe disagreed with a shake of his head.

She looked to Harrison for support; his thumb rubbed soothingly on the inside of her wrist. 

“It'll be alright, Carrie.”

“You don't know that,” she keened. “I can't lose any of you too.”

“You'll be on speed-dial if anything goes wrong,” he reassured her. “You...don't look like you have slept at all. Go on home and rest.”

He released her wrist and she trembled in a combination of fear and exhaustion. “Just...be careful. All of you, please just....be careful...”

\-------------

She couldn't rest. All she could think off was how much faster and stronger than she he was, how easily he tossed her around that field--

She needed to talk to someone else, someone who wasn't as close to everything as the others. 

She needed...she needed to talk to her father.

The visiting room was empty and she was grateful for it; her head was down, her forehead resting on her arms when she heard that heavy metal door open. Lifting her head, her eyes met her father's as he sat down across from her. In near punison they picked up the recievers.

“Merry Christmas, princess.”

“Merry Christmas,” she replied weakly, trying – and failing – to smile for him.

His expression grew worried. “You all right, Carrie? Do I need to have a talk with Dr Wells?” 

“No, its not...its not about him,” she promised with a shaky laugh and shake of her head. “I...I screwed up, Daddy. After years of searching I finally found him,” she pressed her lips together to regain her nerve all the while secretly despising the lack of privacy, knowing they recorded all the conversations... Her father had straightened, eyes sharpening. “I found the man who killed Mom.” 

She could see her father swallow hard, see the faint sheen of tears in his eyes and knew they were in hers as well. “He's out there, and I had him. He got away. I-I was so close. I promised you that I would get you out of here. Every day you spend in here has been because of him--Until today. Now you're in here because of me, and I'm so sorry. I---”

Her voice cracked on a choked sob, her free hand lifting, covering her mouth to muffle her crying; her shoulders shook and head bowed in grief.

“Carrie,” his voice was soft, she almost didn't hear him until he repeated her name in a stronger tone. “Carrie, this is not your fault. Look at me.” 

That tone always made her look at her father. He looked so determined and she wished for an iota of his strength. “I know what you've given up. Every decision you've made in the past fourteen years has been because of me and your mom what you studied, why you became a CSI...part of why you never paid attention to boys until now... Because you were too consumed with what happened to me and your mom to let yourself have a life. Well, let it go now, Carrie. Hear me now.” 

He watched as she hiccuped softly, wiping at her eyes. “That man has taken enough from us already. Don't let him take any more. You and your Dr Wells, you will have that happiness. Your mother wouldn't want you to isolate yourself when you so clearly love him and he loves you.”


	12. Chapter 12

She'd gone to Joe's house to visit with Iris and Salma; their smiles were as tense as hers was. Everyone was worried – he'd already proven willing to kill for that prototype, and now Joe, Eddie, Harrison, Hunter, and four handpicked SWAT officers were all that stood between him and his objective.

“How was your visit with your Dad?” Iris asked, passing her some eggnog.

“....uplifting,” she admitted. “I'm sill worried about them at the Lab but...Dad made some valid points about how....how I've been letting what happened the night Mom was killed dictate my life.”

“I'd say you've made some very good progress – you and your Dr Wells are getting along wonderfully,” Salma murmured.

“Yeah... The thing is, he's my first relationship. I...never kissed anyone before him. I've always been so focused that I've never really paid much attention to the male population...except for that one teacher's aide I had a crush on in college and then Harrison... And I never had any real intentions of confronting Harrison with how I felt about him until I was whammied...” 

“Oh,” Salma's eyes widened. “So Mr Bivilo forced your hand.”

“Basically.”

“She was also hoping maybe Dr Wells would notice and put her out of her misery,” Iris teased.

“That too,” she admitted when her phone buzzed.

The momentary good mood vanished and she shifted, setting her eggnog down and pulling her phone from her back pocket to stare at the text from Caitlin: 

S.O.S.

She was gone from the living room in a crackle of gold.

\------

The man who killed her mother had Joe pinned to the force-field emmiter, a vibrating hand raised, ready to land a killing blow. The SWAT team and Eddie were on the ground and on the platform where the force-field would have trapped the man in yellow was Harrison, bloodied and beaten. 

Where was Hunter...?

The thought was gone as soon as it came as she dragged the man in yellow from her foster father. Unlike other people, though, he could react to it - could fight back. In an exchange of furious blows and high speeds, they tore through STAR Labs, launching up and out of a skylight in a swirl of red and gold. The pair of speedsters landed hard, impacting in the outside parking lot before he dragged her across the parking lot.

He threw her, sending her into the hood and windshield of Joe's car, knocking the wind out of her as the metal dented and glass cracked.

And then she could hear Caitlin screaming her name: “Carrie!” 

“Let her go!”

That was Cisco's voice and the man in yellow turned his head to glare at Cisco and Caitlin. He released her, turning to face them fully. “Leave.”

“No! You leave!” Cisco yelled back.

She scrambled off the dented hood as he took a threatening step towards the pair; they didn't budge, even though both Cisco and Caitlin looked terrified. 

“Stay away from them!” She shouted at him.

Crimson streaked out behind him as he charged towards the pair of scientists; in a crackle of gold, she was after him. Grabbing his arm, she tried to pull him into a throw that he reversed easily, slamming her into the concrete. He towered over her, those red eyed glowing ominously.

Scrambling backwards away from him, all she could think was she needed to run and run now-

\--a gout of fire suddenly slammed into the man in yellow's side, sending him flying.

Twisting her body, she stared wide-eyed at the newcomer – his hands and head were literally engulfed in flames. This was--he was--the burning man!

The man in yellow was getting back on his feet, drawing her terrified gaze back to him. “We're not done yet, Carrie. See you soon.”

And then in a crackle of crimson he was gone as Cisco and Caitlin ran over to her. Well, Caitlin ran past her and to the burning man, who was no longer burning, as Cisco helped pull her up to her feet. She leaned on him weakly, trembling as her adrenaline began to fade.

“You alright?”

“Don't ever provoke him again,” she pleaded, shivering still; her fingers gripped Cisco's coat tightly. “Harrison...we have to get to Harrison and the others...”

“Don't look for me again,” the burning man told Caitlin, drawing their attention.

Carrie's eyes were huge as the man's head and hands burst into flame once more and he propelled himself high into the sky with a trail of fire behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

It was strange, seeing Harrison sitting on the medical bed she occupied so much of the time. It was strange and wrong – his skin was molted with bruises and lacerations...

The SWAT Team and Eddie were fine, having been merely rendered unconscious. They were still sent to the hospital for observation, though. It was better to be overly cautious than negligent. Hunter had arrived with the ambulances and she had glanced at him talking with Joe through the observation glass.

He was supposed to have been here as part of the team tonight; she wondered why he hadn't made it...

The officers had no idea how lucky they were, though she worried for the mental trauma that might be inflicted on them – they had come face to face with evil tonight. And given the lack of knowledge in the department about meta-humans...

Well perhaps that would change soon. The DA would have to acknowledge the existence of the Meta-humans now.

And they could finally get the circus metas much needed therapy for what Bliss did to them....

“I've been going over the data, and I still don't know why the containment system failed,” Cisco was babbling as Caitlin was bandaging a laceration above Harrison's eyebrow, his fingers moving swiftly over the surface of his tablet. “I must have missed something. I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault, Cisco,” he reassured the engineer, wincing faintly as he shifted, sitting up further. “But if you both feel the need to apologize for something...” He glanced between Caitlin and Cisco with a faintly disapproving look, much like one Carrie herself had been on the receiving end of in the past. It made one feel about an inch tall. “You might start with the not telling me that Ronnie is still alive.”

Ronnie had been the burning man this entire time. And apparently he had amnesia, from what Caitlin and Cisco told them of their encounter with him.

Poor Caitlin...

“I asked Cisco not to say anything,” Caitlin admitted as she finished treating his injuries. “Once I saw what Ronnie had become, I needed....” She swallowed hard, blinking back tears as she composed herself. “I needed time to see if I could make him whole again... I'm sorry. I know you're mad.”

“Oh trust me, he's not mad,” she murmured reassuringly to her friend. And he wasn't mad, Carrie had seen him furious and this was so not him mad. Disappointed, tired, and weary...but not mad.

“She's right. And to be honest...I don't know what I would have done differently in your situation. I know I have made you a lot of promises. I know I've not been able to keep them all.” Harrison reached out, gently gripping Caitlin's forearm. “But on my life, I promise you this: We will bring Ronnie home.”

Carrie placed her hand on Caitlin's shoulder. “We're a team. A family. We'll bring him back to you. All of us.”

Joe poked his head into the exam room, his eyes landing on Harrison. “Just thought I'd check in on you before I go see how Eddie and the guys are.”

“Thanks, Joe,” Harrison smiled faintly. “I'm fine. I'm just glad your officers didn't...they were very lucky.”

“Yeah...”

“Tell Eddie we're still having the Christmas Party here,” Carrie told Joe.

His lips quirked at his foster daughter. “I will.”

Harrison groaned.

“You can stay right here if you like,” she reassured him, leaning in and whispering in his ear, “I seduced you fair and square. Besides...private party, remember?”

His split lips quirked faintly as he gave a soft chuckle. “Alright, alright. Hopefully Grandma Ester's eggnog won't interfere with my pain medication.”

“I'm pretty sure Iris has a batch light on the bourbon,” she chuckled.

\--------------

It had taken her no time at all to decorate STAR Labs for the Christmas party – and hide the Flash Suit and mannequin it was on, when Eddie told her he was dragging Hunter along. It was good that he'd be getting out and about, staying cooped up on the holidays all alone...well that was terribly sad.

Hunter whistled in awe as he took in the decorations. “You guys must have busted your asses to get it this nice in such a short time...”

“Carrie was like a living whirlwind,” Iris said innocently as she adjusted her elf hat.

The light were set lower than normal, allowing the Christmas lights to twinkle and it caught nicely on the emeralds of the earrings Carrie had given her earlier. The stones and the shimmery green dress she wore offset her eyes perfectly, just like Eddie had said they would.

Hunter smiled in amusement at the fact Eddie wore a matching green tie to his girlfriend's dress. His gaze glanced around at the others; he and Cisco were probably the most casually dressed with blue jeans, Hunter with a long-sleeved button-up rolled up to bare his forearms and Cisco was with an ugly Christmas sweater.

Joe was relaxed, talking with a woman that Hunter had been introduced to as Salma – he recognized her from Jitters as a friend of Iris's. They were getting along very well and from the way the woman would brush back her long, loose hair and would play with the necklace she wore, was probably more than a little attracted to Iris's father. Hunter hoped it was a mutual attraction; he suspected it might be given Joe's eyes would drop as she played with her necklace, his eyes following the low line of her off-the shoulder sweater dress.

Dr Wells was still in the medical bay from what Dr Snow had told him; the doctor would flit between talking with Cisco and Iris.

“There you are!” Caitlin waved as Carrie swept into the room.

Eddie had glanced over, about to ask Hunter about his New Year's plans, so he got to see the way Hunter's jaw dropped. Curious, he glanced over, following his eyes to...Carrie.

Oh.

She was clad in a dress that was a long-sleeved sheath that went past her knees in shades of dark gold lace that she had paired with a pair of very tall red heels. Around her neck was a red bow and a Santa hat was perched precariously on her head.

“Its a good thing you made so much eggnog, Iris,” Carrie quipped to her sister.

\------

Sitting on the edge of the medical bed, she watched Harrison set his eggnog aside.

“You didn't have to leave the party...”

“I wanted to,” she insisted, leaning in and gently kissing him. “...you scared the hell out of me, Harrison Wells. What do you think you were doing, taunting that man like that?”

“I didn't taunt him,” he denied, pulling her into his lap.

“Bull,” she snorted, tenderly pressing kisses to his battered face. “Caitlin let me hear the conversation. You were totally taunting him.”

“Perhaps a little,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, his fingers finding the red ribbon. “You really wore it...”

“I told you I would...” she replied breathlessly, her head tilting to the side as his lips moved over the sensitive skin of her throat.

\-----

It was getting time for him to go and Hunter wanted to at least say goodbye to Carrie...and Dr Wells, it was only polite. As he was approaching the medical bay though, he heard a grunt.

Maybe Wells needed some help moving around? Carrie probably wouldn't be strong enough to help the man if he needed it----

Another sound reached him – a low, throaty feminine moan that caused him to freeze in his tracks, all the blood pooling in his groin. Was that--?

Forcing himself to move, to investigate, he found that oh God it was.

Draped over Wells's lap was Carrie, her head thrown back; that gold dress had been unzipped and was pulled down, the scientist's hand framing her breast as his mouth trailed over her collarbone.

Hunter's eyes were dragged from Carrie's visible breast and he felt himself blush hotly – he hadn't blushed like that in years - as his eyes met Wells's; the older man was glaring at him from where he was kissing the swell of Carrie's breast. Thankfully Carrie was to enraptured by what Wells was doing to have noticed Hunter walking in...

He beat a hasty retreat, only slowing when he was down the corridor, almost to the large break room where the party was being held. Pausing, he leaned against the corridor wall, a hot mess of conflicting emotions – aroused, embarrassed, and a touch terrified.

Because he was certain when their eyes had locked, Wells's turned red.


	14. Chapter 14

At the party's end, it was left to the most sober still there to clean up – which meant it was Carrie, Joe, and Salma. Cisco and Caitlin were conked out on the spare cots they kept at the labs for the scientists who would pull all-nighters while Eddie had driven Iris home. Hunter had left early, well before Carrie had ventured back from her visit with Harrison.

Oh how she wished they'd gone a little farther than 'second base'... But she could understand, anyone could have walked in and on top of that, he was injured...it wasn't the most romantic of places for their first time together.

As they were setting the lab back to rights, Carrie picked up a snow-globe of Cisco's; she smiled faintly, reminded of the one she had of her mother's back in her own lab. “You know...” she mused. “...my mom traveled around the world twice?”

Salma looked over at her. “Really? I've not left the country...”

“She spent a semester abroad in Spain, and she loved it so much that after she graduated, she went to Europe,” Carrie elaborated. “Didn't stop till she'd been to a few dozen other cities. She always wanted to go back, but she never got a chance.”

“I offered to send you abroad when you were in college,” Joe reminded her.

“I know,” she smiled faintly at him, tough there was a sadness there. “I remember, but I...I couldn't take off, not knowing Dad...”

“You know he's the first person to tell you not to hold yourself back from being happy,” he scolded her.

“I know. And he did. But...the truth is I've been stuck here in Central City. Fear has kept me in that living room for fourteen years...” she sighed. “Joe, I...I was mad at you for being scared. I've...never seen you scared. You've always been my rock and it...”

“It rattled you?” Salma offered and the younger woman nodded.

“I've been afraid of the man in yellow for my whole life,” she admitted. “And that's probably why I lost...”

“When you first moved in with us, I thought it was gonna be too much,” Joe admitted. “I was scared then. I'm already a single dad. Finances were tough. And you were a little girl who just lost her mother in a terrible way. But, man, was I wrong.” He chuckled faintly, glancing over at Salma. “All I took was two weeks, and she had changed the whole dynamic of the house.”

“Really?” Salma smiled at the pair.

“Yeah. Suddenly, the house was filled with this Light. This energy.” He smiled at Carrie now. “I mean, you brightened up everything. You'd seen more darkness than any man will in a lifetime, and you never let it dim your soul. So there I was, thinking that I'm changing your life by taking you in, but...the truth is... You changed mine.” He hugged her to him, riffling her hair. “So don't lose that light now, Care-Bear. The world may need The Flash, but I need my Carrie Allen.”

“We all do,” Salma agreed.


End file.
